The description herein relates to information handling systems and the evaluation of thermal systems used in such systems.
As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system (IHS) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
IHSs often contain one or more semiconductor components that have a high power density and/or high power consumption under some operating conditions. The convection and/or radiation cooling characteristics used for the IHS as a whole may be insufficient to remove the waste heat from such a component and keep the component within its normal operating temperature range. Such components are commonly fitted with a passive heat sink or dedicated fan/heat sink assembly to provide a larger surface area for the dissipation of waste heat. The heat sink requires a good thermal contact to the semiconductor package in order to effectively perform its function.